Aslaug Vaa (25 August 1889 – 28 November 1965) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

poet and playwright. Her works contain elements from local tradition and landscape mixed with international influence.

Personal life

Aslaug Vaa was born on Nystog in

Rauland Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...

, in

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

county, Norway. She was the daughter of farmers Tor Aanundsson Vaa and Anne Marie Roholt, and was a sister of sculptor

Dyre Vaa Dyre Vaa (19 January 1903 – 11 May 1980) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter. Background He was born in Kviteseid, Telemark, and later lived and worked in Rauland. He was the son of Tor Aanundsson Vaa (1864–1928) and Anne Marie Roholt ...

. She was married to Norwegian psychologist and writer Ola Raknes, and she was the mother of

Magli Elster Magli Elster (née Raknes; 21 November 1912 – 11 May 1993) was a Norwegian psychoanalyst, literary critic, poet and translator. Personal life Elster was born in the neighborhood of Vålerenga in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. She was the d ...

Literary career

Vaa graduated with

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

from Aars og Voss skole in

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

in 1909, and with "anneneksamen" from the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

in 1911. After her first studies, she produced works as journalist and translator, including for the magazine ''

Den 17de Mai ''Den 17de Mai'' is a former Norwegian newspaper, issued in Oslo from 1894 to 1935. History and profile The founder and first editor-in-chief of ''Den 17de Mai'' was Rasmus Steinsvik, who edited the newspaper until his death in 1913. Arne Garborg ...

''. While spending longer periods abroad together with her husband, she studied arts at Sorbonne in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and experimental theatre in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Vaa made her literary debut in 1934 with the poetry collection ''Nord i leite'', and she followed up with the collections ''Skuggen og strendan'' (1935), ''Villarkonn'' (1936), and ''På vegakanten'' (1939). Her poem ''So rodde dei fjordan'' ("then they rowed the fjords") was frequently recited on radio, has been selected for several anthologies, and was made into a song with melody by

Geirr Tveitt Geirr Tveitt (born Nils Tveit; 19 October 1908 – 1 February 1981) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. Tveitt was a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s. Life Early years Tveitt was born in Be ...

. Vaa's poetry and writing contains elements from local tradition, landscape and language, but also international influence."Om Aslaug Vaa: -- Ein ekte poet"
– ''Dag og Tid'' (Retrieved on February 8, 2008) Her first play, ''Steinguden'' (1938) is treating marriage-related issues. Her second play, ''Tjugendagen'' (1947) is set in a rural society around 1850. ''Honningfuglen og leoparden'' (first staged in 1955) is inspired from African legends. Vaa contributed articles to several newspapers and magazines, including ''

Arbeiderbladet ''Dagsavisen'' is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999. It has borne several names, and was called ''Arbeiderbladet'' from 1923 to 1997. ...

'', ''

Verdens Gang ''Verdens Gang'' ("The course of the world"), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, having declined from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. ''VG'' is n ...

'' and ''

Dagbladet ''Dagbladet'' (lit.: ''The Daily Magazine'') is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally ''Dagbladet'' is considered the main liberal newsp ...

''.

Selected bibliography

Plays

* 1938 ''Steinguden'' * 1947 ''Tjugendagen'' * 1965 ''Honningfuglen og leoparden'' * 1966 ''Munkeklokka''

Poetry

* 1934 ''Nord i leite'' * 1935 ''Skuggen og strendan'' * 1936 ''Villarkonn'' * 1939 ''På vegakanten'' * 1947 ''Fotefár'' * 1954 ''Skjenkarsveinens visur''ry * 1963 ''Bustader''

References

Other sources

* Mæhle, Leif (2001) ''Fann eg dei stigar…» Vandringar i Aslaug Vaas dikting'' (Oslo: Aschehoug)

External links

NRK - Aslaug Vaa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaa, Aslaug 1889 births 1965 deaths People from Vinje Nynorsk-language writers 20th-century Norwegian poets Norwegian women poets Norwegian women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Norwegian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Norwegian women writers